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WE MADE IT - FIRST 300 LICENSE PLATES SOLD!
 A bell rang. Whistles were blown. Members danced in the aisles when a very happy Don Bergey, chair of the license plate committee, came to the podium at FMST's annual meeting and announced that FMST had just sold its 300th license plate. This accomplishment means that the NC Division of Motor Vehicles is starting to print the plates and soon we'll see them on the roads.
Of course, we hope to see many more than 300 plates on the road in the future. To buy yours now, send your application and fee to FMST. In about two months, you'll be able to order your plate right off the DMV website. The plates are a fantastic way to raise awareness of the trail and money for its completion.
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NEW BOOK PUBLISHED ABOUT THE MST
 Danny Bernstein, hiking guide author and 2011 MST completer, has just published The Mountains-to-Sea Trail Across North Carolina, a valuable and entertaining new book about the MST. The book, published by History Press, introduces the reader to the spectacular, historic and quirky elements of the North Carolina landscape that hikers see on the trail.
Read History Press's blog for a great overview of the book, and check out Danny's schedule of book events throughout North Carolina - there is probably one near you (and if there isn't she'd welcome the chance if you want to line one up for her).
If you're in the Asheville or Raleigh area, come out for one of the two "book launches" to hear Danny read from the book, answer questions about the trail and meet Kate Dixon, Executive Director of FMST:
- Tuesday, March 5th, 6 pm - Diamond Brand Outdoors, 2623 Hendersonville Road, Arden (Diamond Brand will provide anyone in attendance who becomes a member of FMST with a $20 gift card. Refreshments will be provided and attendees can participate in a raffle also benefiting FMST. The event is free and open to the public.)
- Friday, April 5th, 7 pm - Quail Ridge Books, 3522 Wade Avenue, Raleigh (co-sponsored with Great Outdoor Provision Co. and Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail)
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NEW OFFICE FOR FMST
On January 1, FMST moved into its first rented office at 112 S. Blount Street in downtown Raleigh, just off Moore Square. The building is a fun, creative location for staff because it is filled with other small non-profits and businesses who share the kitchen, copier, and conference room.
FMST has been very fortunate for the last five years to have office space donated by two generous members - first by Restoration Systems and then by The Design Response. As the economy has picked up, both companies needed the space they were donating for their own employees, but in the time FMST was there they really made a difference by allowing us to invest the thousands of dollars that we would have spent on rent into the trail.
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THE DAY CAROLINA MOUNTAIN CLUB BEGAN CONSTRUCTING THE MST
 Walt Weber, Carolina Mountain Club member, sent us a delightful e-mail recently.
While searching through a box of old photographs that belonged to Dick Roberts, the original leader of the South Pisgah Task Force, he came upon this photo of Dick labeled "9/83 Silvermine Art Loeb Relocation." Through previous research, Walt had determined that Carolina Mountain Club's first day of work constructing the MST was on September 19th, 1983 at Silvermine Bald.
Walt says "Knowing Dick, my guess is that this was taken on that date to commemorate this event. The guy in the picture is indeed Dick Roberts. I know this from another picture of Dick in the same shirt in the same packet of photos."
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MST NEWS BRIEFS...
 MST IN THE NEWS: Head out to your local newsstand for a copy of the March issue of Our State magazine so you can read the article about the MST and interviews of the three trail leaders who have written books about the trail: Allen de Hart, Scot Ward and Danny Bernstein. The article is illustrated with winning photos from FMST's photo contest. Links to other recent news articles about the MST can be found on our website.
ACQUIRING LAND FOR THE TRAIL: Thanks to a donation of more than $5000 from Great Outdoor Provision Co., FMST made grants to the Eno River Association and the NC Coastal Land Trust to allow their staff to concentrate on acquisition of key tracts of land needed to complete the trail in Eno River State Park and between the towns of Havelock and Newport outside the Croatan National Forest. Look to future e-newsletters for updates on these efforts.
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Volunteers groom trail.
Photo by Randy Johnson.
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CHAINSAW CERTIFIED: Twenty FMST volunteers completed our annual chainsaw certification class in December so that they can safely operate equipment when working on the trail. If you are an FMST trail volunteer interested in taking this class in the future, e-mail Jeff Brewer at [email protected] to get your name on the list.
VOLUNTEER ON THE TRAIL: Picture yourself as part of a trail work crew! As we head into spring, FMST task force leaders have planned many workdays to spruce up the trail. Check out the calendar to find one that works for you.
TRAIL RACE: The 12-Mile and 50K Trail Challenge @ Falls Lake are coming up on Sunday, April 7th. Help raise valuable dollars for the trail by registering to run in the race or by volunteering today. Thanks to the organizing sponsor, Bull City Running, for making this event happen since 2010.
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